New-York tribune., 1887-05-15
THE EMPRESS AUGUSTA.
urp uABITs. HER TRAITS. HER IDIOsYN.
~~ NpACTES

more OF the lessons of his ." rdnitds cdRttd'u" '"
even he, as a writer. could with his pen nave
crowded into score of chapters of deigntiui 'noi
alizine. am forcibly reminded of that sketcn
.rhans,er ses the Empress Augusta in public, and
haer afterward the curious gossip regarding hcr
efoat in Berlin society. Royalties are made
NJ very common clay, after all, anu
Ike other people are subject to the
universal law which Byron expressed by saying
That mo man is a hero to his valet" The Empress
Augusta you will find, is no exception; ana 'he
calcium light under which laureates ana cour'
dilettanti have exhibited her from distance 10 d
naturally patriotic and also very guiiiDie puoiio'
as n sort of female Macenas, only serves W o'-
scure her real character. This character under ,Ie
frequently more significant and trustworthy 'ai-
low-dip of court gossip and smalltaik Is SHOWN "
be- fear nothing more than Weakness cohooiV
and vanity contendng in the royal breast Tor su-
uemacv with religious fervor, a certain sense OF
duty. and determination at all times to be on inc
best conceivable terms with herself
Uhe Empress has aged considerably wlthln the
last few years Indeed you would call her Veher-
able were it not for the fact that she IS fourteen
years Younger than her husband, whois ninety, Sun
she continues asslduously to repair by the ald OF
art the irreparable ravages of me IL Is TINS whicn
makes her appear upon occasions almost hioeous'
Imagine face wrinkled and pinched, topped Dy an
enormous black wig, the sunken cheeKs glowing
with unnatural color a pair of dark ustreless eyes
staring into vacancy, the scrawny neck, once the
admiration and envy of the court, now a mass OF
cords and sinews. figure bent with age and IN
6rm1ties supported by stout walkiDg-stlck, or
leaning upon the arm OF an attendant-and you nave
picture of the Empress, she appears In puDIio
or at Court festivals Upon the occasion OF tne
anniversary of the Emperor's birthday IN Mareh
she was rolled into the audience chamber seateu
nnon n chair and she remained in that position
throughout the proceedings, while the emperor
himself remained standing. Her carriages are SO
constructed that the chair can be rolled into then'
and staircase was recently built In the palace
which will admit of her being conveyed to the
MINER floors of the building in the same easy
manner. Confirmed invalid though she be- she is
as exactinc and punctilious in her demands upon
others as regards court ceremonial and etiquette,
"a if she were a royalty of yesterday
creation and feared her reign might come
TO sudden and abrupt END on
tbemorrow, Her toilet and personal adornments
bccupv her time as much as they did fifty years
ago and fear more so. She then had youth ana
beauty, of which not trace remains to-day. Her
pictures of the period, which by the way she SUI
continues to d stribute with lavish hand among
the loyal and devoted followers of her court, show
her TO have been of commanding presence with an
and finely shaped head, balanced with royal
self-possession upon a magnificent pair of shoul-
ders You could not obtain in Berlin to-day a
prlnt photo or picture of the Empress of more re-
cent date than say twenty or twenty-five years
aoo The contrast would be too startling, were
her present appearance compared with what 1t was
then And SO the poor old lady goes on deceiving
no one but herself still clinging to the memories
of the past, still cluchiDg at the outward trap
pings of royalty, still waging war upon time with
powder wig and paint. Oh ranttds rdnitdtum
Where is the German artist bold enough 70 draw
the cartoon, Imperatrir-Augusta- augusta InperG-
triSi
The relations between the Emperor and the
Empress have never been very cordial though OF
late they are said to be less strained than they
formerly were What change has taken place is
due no doubt to the disciplining hand of time and
70 the Emperor's uniform kindness OF heart and
forgiving disposition. If people do not stop quar-
relline at seyenty-slx aud ninety when will they
stopf Even husband and wife must learn wisdom
by that time If they never did before. SO the Ber
liners have come to the conclusion that their
Emperor and his royal spouse have made up"
Outward appearances tend to confirm this view.
Formerly the arrival of the Emperor IN Berlin wss
the signal for the Empress to start for Baden
Baden or Coblentz ON the RLiIe. Their
s'incompatibility of temper" | believe, was based
entirely upon q diversity OF tastes Inc stories
which twenty years ago connected the emperor
name with certain adventures and made them the
basis of conjugal unhapplness between the PAIR
never had any foundation Unlike his brothers, the
Emperor. after leaving behind him the days Of 4
stormy youth, became an exemplary husband ana
father. His tastes and leanings, however, dlnered
radically from those of his wife. he was ana IS
a soldier trife rough, but frank and open
hearted; and without being blessed with too much
intellect he possesses the Tarer qnalty OF common
ities which made her husband what he Is
to-day She dislikes soldiers; she hates military
pomp; she looks with derision upon her hus6ands
cannot understand why he should be interested IN
the number of buttons that certain uniform
sbould have, OF a question as TO the color o. It's
facings or the weight of saddle, or the length or
a sabre. To her these things are ridiculous 10
him they are everything, or at least a great DEAL
She delights in literature, she patronizes in hap
hazard fashion the arts she encourages ORTHODOX
science and she sspires TO mild forni OF intrigue
times with Bismarck. who, strong enough now to do
away with intrigue. himself, hates an intrlguer
snS PSs Emperor If s Ss. had hs good
never to lend any countenance TO his
Wifes projects and he does In everything else to
support his Chancellor, right or wrong.
said Just now that the Empress takes great in
terest in literature and art IL would be more cor
rect to say that she gives herself infinite trouble 70
versed in everything that passes in the world Of
science and art At her receptions, which are only
a little gayer than funerals, you meet poets, mu-
sclans artists travellers scientists and men OF let
ters With the poets she discusses the merits OF the
latest discovery in the realms of the muses.. She
talks earnedy with the musicians about the music
of the future. of which, by the way she is not an
ardent adIairer TO the artist she may
Kindly insinuate that one school has no
merit and another very much indeed. Tie
traveller will have mapped out to hlm, perhaps;
his next trlp into the wilds of Africa. She Will
discuss with the scientist the limits OF human re.
search and analyze the characters in the latest
French novel for the benefit of the man of letters
10 seem to dissent from the views expressed by
her, to contradict an Empress, is neither polite mol
safe Consequently at these little receptions she
delivers a sort of monologue. Everybody listens
to this Semiramis Of the Brandenburg desert. re-
presses with difficulty yawn, and departs, intense
Ii bored As matter Of fact, however excellent
at heart she may appear at times, or however in
exhaustble her kindness in emergencies, she tires
every body from the Emperor down 20 her domes-
tics by reason OF her afectaton, her desire to ap
pear what she Is not her lack OF sense and dis
cretion.